University of Vermont President Tom Sullivan announced the $500 million goal of the “Move Mountains” campaign at an event held at the Davis Center on Friday, October 2, 2015. Several crescendo events took place across campus leading up to the official launch, including a major gift announcement and Investiture ceremony at the UVM College of Medicine. (View the campaign video.)

At the College of Medicine’s October 2 event, hosted by medical alumnus and UVM Foundation Leadership Council member James Betts, M.D.’73, UVM College of Medicine Dean Frederick Morin, M.D., revealed news of a $9 million gift from Robert Larner, M.D.’42 and Helen Larner of Woodland Hills, Calif. The Larners’ generous gift, which will be directed to the existing Larner Endowed Medical Education Fund, will largely help medical students by supporting initiatives to expand the use of technology and innovative teaching methods at the College, said Morin.

“This gift will help further the College of Medicine’s commitment to active learning – the programs, events, and career development for our best and aspiring teachers,” said Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education William Jeffries, Ph.D. “We know active learning is superior to traditional teaching methods that rely on passive listening” and is a method that is accessible to all types of learners, he added.

The gift announcement was followed by a special Investiture ceremony during which UVM President Tom Sullivan presented new College of Medicine Teaching Academy Director Kathryn Huggett, Ph.D., as the inaugural Robert Larner, M.D.’42 Endowed Professor in Medical Education.

“I am honored and humbled to stand here today as the first Larner Professor,” said Huggett. The Larners’ generosity “will benefit teachers, learners and ultimately, patients. It brings recognition and visibility to the teaching that so many of our colleagues do in addition to their clinical and research responsibilities,” she added.

The Larner Endowed Professorship recognizes the role of educators who excel in their scholarship of teaching and learning and work to improve the efficiency and quality of medical education. It also furthers the Larners’ goal of providing resources that allow the UVM College of Medicine to provide a medical education that is second to none.

According to President Sullivan, the “silent” phase of the campaign has already raised $248 million in received commitments. More than half of the funds raised through the campaign will establish endowed professorships at the university, with a substantial remaining portion being dedicated to scholarships for deserving students.

The Move Mountains campaign marks the first time the university is partnering with the UVM Medical Center for a comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Among the campaign’s goals are strategic investments to advance UVM’s strongest programs – in human health, the environment, the humanities, and STEM, among others.  Significant upgrades to selected facilities on campus are planned as well, such as the STEM Complex now under construction, the Alumni House on Summit Street and the UVM Medical Center’s new inpatient bed replacement building.

The new 250,000-square-foot STEM Complex, combined with the research powerhouse of the UVM Medical Center and the UVM College of Medicine, will magnify the already large role that UVM plays in creating jobs and fostering economic development, university leaders said. UVM and the UVM Medical Center already have a combined a direct and indirect impact of more than $2.1 billion annually on the Vermont economy. Combined, the University of Vermont and the UVM Medical Center have the largest population of employees in the state.